The Coode Street Podcast

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan calls up Tordotcom Publishing editor Ruoxi Chen to chat about revisiting all-time favourites and how re-reading can help keep editors in touch with the readers they need to be, the therapeutic values of disaster nonfiction, dipping into audiobooks, the state of speculative fiction and why there’s a lot to be optimistic about, and a lot more. Books mentioned include: The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo (forthcoming, June 2021) The Queen's Thief Series by Megan Whalen Turner The Old Kingdom Series by Garth Nix We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Coode Street has a long history of talking to Kim Stanley Robinson about the world and his work, starting back in 2011, continuing in our 200th episode in London, and on the publication of 2312, Aurora, and New York 2140, so we couldn't pass up the chance to talk to him now. In what is easily the longest episode of Coode Street for this strange pandemic year, Gary, Jonathan, and Stan discuss his brand new novel, The Ministry for the Future, the value and purpose of science fiction, Stan's important working relationship with editor Tim Holman, experimenting with form, what comes next, and more. As always, we'd like to thank Stan for making the time to talk to us and hope you enjoy the episode.  

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Madeleine E. Robins, author of the Sarah Tolerance historical mysteries, SF and fantasy, and historical novels, talks about starting her career with Regency novels influenced by Georgette Heyer, how "fluffy bunny" reading doesn’t necessarily mean fluffy, making masks and researching mask laws from a century ago (and the “mask riots” in San Francisco then), and her own recent work and work-in-progress. Books mentioned include: Sold for Endless Rue by Madeleine E. Robins "Omunculus" by Madeleine E. Robins Whitehall by Liz Duffy Adams, Mary Robinette Kowal, Madeleine E. Robins, Barbara Samuel & Delia Sherman Little Women by Louisa May Alcott The Lord Peter Wimsey Series by Dorothy L. Sayers The Complete Novels by Jane Austen R.U.R. by Karel Čapek Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Nebula and Locus award-winning Linda Nagata talks about what life in Maui is like with almost no tourists, how audiobooks have improved in recent years, her experiences in running her own publishing company and establishing her own deadlines, and her timely forthcoming novel Pacific Storm. Books mentioned include: The Red Trilogy by Linda Nagata Edges by Linda Nagata Silver by Linda Nagata Wanderers by Chuck Wendig Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition by Buddy Levy The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life by David Quammen

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Multiple award-nominee Benjamin Rosenbaum discusses the pandemic as seen from Switzerland, learning to write in his garden when cafes are no longer available, designing board games with his son, the reboot of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, rereading classic SF, and his own recent stories and forthcoming genderless novel. Books mentioned include: The Unraveling by Benjamin Rosenbaum (forthcoming) Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull A Princess of Roumania by Paul Park Dune by Frank Herbert Startide Rising by David Brin The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Award-winning author, editor, and scholar Delia Sherman talks about reading old French newspapers and memoirs; the rewards of research; listening to audiobooks during long walks (including a lot of Dickens!); the orderly appeal of good murder mysteries from Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and others; missing out on being a teenager; and how political themes are finding their way into her novel in progress. Books mentioned include: The Porcelain Dove by Delia Sherman The Evil Wizard Smallbone by Delia Sherman A Quiet Life in the Country by T.E Kinsey Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens Bleak House by Charles Dickens The Phryne Fisher Series by Kerry Greenwood

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Writer, professor, and Strange Horizons founder Mary Anne Mohanraj chats with Gary about launching a new cookbook just as everything got locked down, how virtual conventions seem to be improving—and are likely to change the way all cons are conducted in the future, keeping busy sewing masks, serving as a public library board member, and teaching online, why SF doesn’t have enough food in it, South Asian SFF writers, and even how the word serendipity came into the language. Books mentioned include: A Feast of Serendib by Mary Anne Mohanraj A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle How to Cook a Wolf by M.F.K. Fisher Best American Food Writing 2019 edited by Samin Nosrat Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction by Alec Nev

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Playwright, professor, director, and Carl Brandon and Otherwise-award winning writer Andrea Hairston talks with Gary about the necessity of reading during hard times, the appeal of hefty nonfiction titles as well as epic fantasy, the odd satisfaction of a virtual book tour, Afrofuturism and Indigenous Futurisms, and her new novel Master of Poisons. Books mentioned include: Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang The Book of Lost Saints by Daniel José Older Nine Bar Blues by Sheree Renee Thomas Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves, Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals A

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. American Book Award winner Lisa Goldstein talks with Gary about her recent novel Ivory Apples, surviving California’s smoky air and a pandemic, trying to read The Decameron, the British comedian Jack Whitehall, comfort to be had from Tana French mysteries and Kage Baker time travel stories, and wrangling the characters in her novel in progress. Books mentioned include: Ivory Apples by Lisa Goldstein Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir The Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French The Company Series by Kage Baker  

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Hugo, Astounding, and British Fantasy Award-winning Jeannette Ng joins Gary from northern England, discussing what it’s like to live near stands of ancient trees, learning to "read" the trees, the folklore and symbology of yew, hawthorn, and mistletoe, the advantages of reading manga on e-devices, and the rewards of reading Jasper Fforde and D&D-related manga. Books mentioned include: Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng The Sacred Routes of Uyghur History by Rian Thum The Thursday Next novels by Jasper Fforde Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde The Delicious in Dungeon series by Ryuko Kui

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Crawford Award winner Stephanie Feldman joins Gary to talk about the unexpected complexities of virtual Kindergarten; writing about young adult characters and their attraction to the unknown; the appeal of short fiction by Daphne Du Maurier, Joan Aiken, and Angela Carter; the rewards of reading nonfiction; and her recent story "The Staircase" (published in the July 2020 issue of F&SF). Books mentioned include: The Angel of Losses by Stephanie Feldman Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS by David France My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier The Wolves Chronicles by Joan Aiken  

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan spends ten minutes or so chatting with exciting debut novelist Andrea Stewart about living and working through the pandemic, the pleasures of reading, exciting new books by Kerstin Hall, Megan O'Keefe, and Lisbeth Campbell, and her own book, The Bone Shard Daughter. Books mentioned include: The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart Star Eater by Kerstin Hall Inherit the Flame by Megan E. O'Keefe The Vanished Queen by Lisbeth Campbell        

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan is joined by Aurealis Award-winning writer Jane Routley and they chat about how Jane's coping with the Melbourne shutdown and with being an essential worker, enjoying and participating in the New Zealand Worldcon, reading the Hugo nominees, watching The Umbrella Academy, American Gods, Tales from the Loop, and lots more. Books mentioned include: Shadow in the Empire of Light by Jane Routley The Sandman by Neil Gaiman and others Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge Fly Trap by Frances Hardinge A Memory of Empire by Arkady Martine Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan  

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Science journalist, novelist and Hugo Award-winning podcaster Annalee Newitz joins Jonathan to chat about living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area during the pandemic, the joys of modern science fiction, their novel-in-progress The Terraformers, and much more. Books mentioned include: The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age by Annalee Newitz Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells Titles mentioned include:

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Multiple award-winning author, editor, narrator, and radio personality Ellen Kushner chats with Gary about moving back to New York; ordering favorite children’s and YA books from independent bookstores; reading Edward Eager, E. Nesbit, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Joan Aiken; the brilliance of Frances Hardinge; group reading Shakespeare with friends online; the University of Glasgow’s new fantasy study center; and odd historical genres like “silver-fork novels.” Books mentioned include: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken Night Birds on Nantucket by Joan Aiken Dido and Pa by Joan Aiken Deeplight by Frances Hardinge The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho The True Queen by Zen Cho Silk & Steel: An Adventure Anthology of Queer SF&F with High Fe

For the first time since way back in March when they chatted with N.K. Jemisin, Jonathan and Gary are joined by a guest. This time the wonderful Alix E. Harrow, author of the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy nominated The Ten Thousand Doors of January and the forthcoming The Once and Future Witches joins Jonathan and Gary to chat about reinventing fairy tale materials for the modern age, the recent resurgence of novels about witches, the difference between secret histories (as in her earlier novel) and alternate histories (as in the new one), using fantasy to address social and historical issues such as women’s suffrage, and her short fiction including "A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies". As always, our thanks to Alix for making time to join us, and we hope you enjoy the episode. We'll be back tomorrow with another episode of "Ten Minutes with..." and will see you back here in two weeks with another special guest! Books mentioned include: The Once and Future Witches by A

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Multiple award-winning author, poet, and educator Candas Jane Dorsey talks with Gary about teaching writing online, how her communications students seem to be better motivated in recent years, the appeal of detective stories (which John Gardner included among "moral fictions"), why middle-aged women read Jack Reacher novels, and her own forthcoming series of mystery novels and forthcoming YA novel. Books mentioned include: The Adventures of Isabel: An Epitome Apartments Mystery by Candas Jane Dorsey Ice and Other Stories by Candas Jane Dorsey Black Wine by Candas Jane Dorsey A Paradigm of Earth by Candas Jane Dorsey Crimes and Survivors by Sarah Smith The Vanished Child by Sarah Smith Gideon the Ninth by Tamsin Muir Harrow the Ninth by Tamsin Muir On Moral Fiction by John Gardner Jac

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan chats with exciting debut novelist Micaiah Johnson about the strangeness of lockdown in Nashville, struggling to work in the early stages of quarantine, the pleasures of listening to creepy horror audiobooks, her early memories of reading genre fiction, and how she found her way to writing book that became The Space Between Worlds. Books mentioned include: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir Home Before Dark by Riley Sager Lock Every Door by Riley Sager The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Widely respected historical novelist (and very occasional SF or fantasy writer) Cecelia Holland talks with Gary about the smoky conditions in northern California, the joys of doing research, her own new novel about Mongol invasions in the Middle East, and the small comforts of reading favourite poets like W.H. Auden, Richard Howard, and Edna St. Vincent Millay. Books mentioned include: Heart of the World by Cecelia Holland The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 by Rick Atkinson Washington’s Crossing by David Hackett Fischer Plagues and Peoples by William McNeill A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan fires up Skype to talk to Chaz Brenchley about the strange challenges of these times, the comfort to be found reading crime and mystery novels, living and working a short walk from SETI and NASA in Silicon Valley, combining girls school novels and steampunk (and the accompanying Mrs Bailey's Recipes for Medium), taking control of his own publishing, his new short story collection and more. Crater School Chaz has been working on a series of English girls' boarding-school stories set on Mars. You can sample the Charter School on his website and read more on his Patreon. Books mentioned include: Everything in all the Wrong Order: The Best of Chaz Brenchley by Chaz Brenchley (forthcoming 2021) Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe Dr. Siri Paibo